In financial institutions or the like, there is widely used, as a machine handled by a teller, the currency receiving/dispensing machine which carries out currency receiving processing for transferring and identifying currency put into a currency receiving opening for storing the currency in a currency storing section based on a currency receiving approving instruction, and currency dispensing processing for taking out the currency from the currency storing section and dispenses out the same into a currency dispensing opening based on a currency dispensing instruction.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-145600 describes a typical conventional art of this currency receiving/dispensing machine.
It is described in this document that this currency receiving/dispensing machine can handle only bills but it can also handle coins in general.
In the case of a bill receiving/dispensing machine, the machine is roughly divided into an upper unit and a lower unit. The upper unit includes a currency receiving opening which bills to be received is set, a currency dispensing opening from which bills to be paid is dispensed, a temporary holder in which bills identified and counted when they are received are temporarily hold, and an identifying section for determining genuine/counterfeit, normal/damaged and kinds of currency. The lower unit includes a plurality of bill storing section for respective kinds of currency. Bills to be received and bills to be paid are stored therein on the kind-by-kind basis.
The lower unit can be used as a large currency safe, and to enhance the safety, it is possible to dispose a combination lock for locking and unlocking a front door of the currency safe by inputting a password.
Such a currency receiving/dispensing machine generally has an RAS (Reliability, Availability and Serviceability) program for executing an RAS function to carry out the maintenance and inspection, and the currency receiving/dispensing machine can be brought into an RAS mode. In the RAS mode, it is possible to carry out operation confirmation of bill handling processing such as currency receiving processing, currency dispensing processing, replenishing processing and withdrawal processing; initial resetting processing for operating various mechanisms, and operation confirmation processing for confirming operation states of sensors and driving sections such as motors. The maintenance and inspection by the RAS mode are carried out periodically by a maintenance person of a machine sales company.
If the currency receiving/dispensing machine is brought into the RAS mode, the currency receiving/dispensing machine is brought into a vulnerable state where any person can freely take out bills in the bill storing section by the currency dispensing processing and withdrawal processing, and there is a danger that bills are lost.
Thus, a security plug has been developed to limit a person who can enter the RAS mode, As shown in FIG. 1, the security plug has a small box 1 having a circuit therein, a cord 2 extending from the box 1, and a connector plug 3 (e.g., USB plug) which provided on a tip end of the cord 2 for engaging with a connector of a body. By connecting the plug 3 with a predetermined position in a device at the time of the maintenance, e.g., with a control substrate, the currency receiving/dispensing machine is not brought into the RAS mode unless the control substrate confirms that a specific cord generated from the circuit incorporated in the box 1 matches with a cord which is to be permitted. This security plug is handed over only to a reliably person in charge having a constant level of right such as a manager and a maintenance person. Thus, the security can largely be enhanced.
The maintenance operation using such a security plug will be explained with respect to a flowchart shown in FIG. 2.
First, an upper unit key borrowed from a banker is inserted to unlock the key which fixes the upper unit to the body (step S101).
With this, the upper unit can be pulled out and thus, the upper unit is pulled out (step S102).
An RAS security plug is mounted on a connector provided on a control substrate which appears in this pulled out state (step S103).
Similarly, a remote/local mode switch in an operating section which appears in the state where the upper unit is pulled out is switched to the local side (step S104).
The upper unit is returned into the body and set, and a power supply switch is turned ON (step S105).
Next, an RAS actuation commands “FF” and “START” in the RAS operating section are depressed (step S106).
With this, a mechanical key of a lower currency safe door is brought into an operable state. Thus, the, key is turned in the clockwise direction, a currency safe door open/close lever is operated and the currency safe door is opened (step S107).
With the above operations, the actuation of RAS is completed. Thus, the maintenance operation can be continued using all of the RAS commands thereafter.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-145600